Wisdom of Age
by paxbanana
Summary: A random drunken hook-up changes Ushio's life.


Wisdom of Age  
Fandom: Sasameki koto  
Pairing: Kazama/Sumika  
Rating: R  
Warnings: Lesbian and sex. Not exactly aligned with current canon. No offense meant.  
Length: ~1400 words  
Summary: A random drunken hook-up changes Ushio's life. Found this on my HD—forgotten—and decided to post it.

Ushio resurfaced from her doze at the feeling of her breasts being massaged.

_How strange._

She was still drunk so it took a moment to remember going to a bar, leaving the bar, being picked up by a stranger on the way home, the sex, and sleep after. Her eyes snapped open. No way. No way. She looked down and gaped at the strong hand stroking her breast expertly. No way. She hadn't had sex in so long this seemed impossible.

The hand was big and callused. She felt another tremble of fear at the thought that she might have been drunk enough to pick up a man. She didn't see how that was possible, but the body behind her felt as big as that hand. The said body—attached to a mouth that was breathing gently in her ear—came flush against her. Ushio relaxed immediately at the feel of breasts against her shoulder blades, of flat pubes brushing against her backside. A woman, thank god.

A tongue slipped into her earlobe, and Ushio trembled, her mind back on her arousal.

The hand made its way down her body, and Ushio shifted to open her legs as fingers brushed along her sex. She rubbed her own hand down that arm in encouragement and was surprised at the hard corded muscle she felt beneath the soft skin. She'd never gone for butches before... It hit a little too close to home. Now she was just drunk enough to let that go and arched her back as those fingers played her expertly.

She moaned. The woman behind her moaned too.

She had a familiar sort of presence. The voice rang with it too. She smelled familiar as well—that sort of clean scent of her hair and body, mingling with a gentle brassy smell of sweat. Ushio wasn't as drunk as she was before, but she let herself fall into that fantasy. It was too perfect for her at this point, too easy to let herself believe she was with the person she regretted ever letting out of her life. It would never have worked, and in the hopes of keeping her dearest friend ignorant of her desires, she'd let her slip away.

Her orgasm was close. She'd built up to that plateau quickly, believing her lover was someone else. On the precipice, Ushio whimpered faintly and said, "Sumi-chan."

Before she could think of what she'd said and how this person would react knowing she was thinking of someone else—and before she could realize that it wasn't Sumika behind her, the woman whispered, "Kazama."

Ushio's body arched on its own, and her orgasm was hard and fast. She nearly forgot it had happened because in the midst the aftershocks, Ushio reached out and nearly fell off her bed as she fumbled for the lamp. The light was blinding for a moment; as soon as her vision cleared, she turned to face the woman in her bed.

Ushio grabbed the woman's face in her hands and held it there. The woman's hair was dark and short—though the cut wasn't masculine. Every line of her face was familiar, though changed with age. Ushio's eyes darted across the woman's face then settled on her eyes. Clear, nearly a colorless gray. There was no doubt. Especially when the woman squinted at her heavily. "Kazama?" she questioned, clearly unable to see.

"Sumi-chan!" Ushio threw her arms around Sumika and pressed her face into Sumika's bare shoulder. How had this happened? She couldn't remember asking for her name when they'd met outside the bar. She didn't remember Sumika saying anything about knowing her. They'd had sex. They'd had sex? She'd had sex with Sumika? In fact, Ushio explicitly remembered putting her face between Sumika's thighs. She trembled in memory that it was _Sumi-chan_ she'd tasted.

"That wasn't fair at all," she said tremulously. "I didn't even know who you were!"

Sumika sighed. "I assumed we'd never get as far as we did if I told you."

-Which stopped Ushio in her tracks. What was that statement supposed to mean? Sumika squinted at her again before she rolled over and started fumbling around on the floor. Ushio stared at the hard lines of muscles on her back and shoulders, the soft round curve of her hip. Whatever regret Ushio felt when Sumika rolled over was immediately forsaken at the sight of Sumika's breasts.

"Well, hi," Sumika said, lying down again. She folded her hands behind her head and smiled at Ushio, who felt a wave of affection despite her arousal. Sumika had put back on her glasses, and her eyes now slid along Ushio's body.

"Same glasses," Ushio pointed out, gently chucking Sumika's frames.

"Different prescription," Sumika replied almost forlornly. "You look tired."

"Work and all that." Ushio hesitated, then decided if Sumika wanted to act normally, she could as well. "What are you doing now?"

"Well, I just did you."

Ushio's jaw dropped at the audacity of that statement. Sumika slumped. "It sounded funnier in my head." She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I've taken over the dojo officially."

"Oh, congratulations. How's it going?"

"It's going." Sumika seemed intent on studying the curve of Ushio's side. "How're you managing?"

"Okay. It's not a bad job, but I don't see any promotions in the future."

"Sucks being a woman in the office."

"An unmarried one at that." The turn in conversation was a dreary one—overused too. Ushio had a number of questions about Sumi-chan so she launched into one without a segue. "What are you doing in this part of town?"

"Tournament."

"Oh!" Ushio gasped. "Did you win?"

"For my kids," Sumika further explained.

Ushio's stomach took a nose-dive. Sumika was married then, with _children_? Somehow she couldn't see it... She could hardly imagine the body she felt had borne children. "Oh. How many do you have?"

The look Sumika slanted at her was definitely irritated. "Not _mine_. The dojo's. Jeez, Kazama, I'm only thirty."

She took offense, even over her relief. "Well, plenty of women have had kids at thirty!" She hesitated. "Are you married?"

"Marriage would require me to fall out of love, so no."

Okay, the stomach drop was back. "Oh. Oh, you're seeing someone?"

"I see you right now."

"Quit it! You know what I'm talking about, Sumi-chan."

"No, I'm not seeing anyone. It's an unrequited high-school crush."

"You're still carrying a torch for someone from high school?" Ushio gasped. She could hardly imagine it. Well, other than someone like her. She'd at least been in a few relationships since high school, though none of them lasted long. Her most recent "relationships" had amounted to a few romps in bed before being informed of a boyfriend/fiancée/husband.

"Hence why I would be in bed with you, Kazama."

Ushio opened her mouth to comment that that didn't make any sense at all. Then she stopped and really looked at Sumika. Her old friend, the person she still loved desperately, looked vulnerable despite the bravado in her voice. Her eyes were downcast; she was blushing faintly. She was in bed with Ushio because she was still carrying a torch for someone she loved in high school. "You're saying you love me?" Ushio asked softly.

Unexpectedly, Sumika rolled over and shouted into the pillow. It sounded a lot like, "_Finally_!"

"Sumi-chan!" Ushio clutched her shoulders and tried to pull her up. "You'll break your glasses. What do you mean you loved me in high school?"

Sumika turned her face out from the pillow and said, "I loved you in middle school. I loved you in high school. I loved you in college. I loved you after college. I love you now."

The strength slipped out of Ushio's body, and she slid down against Sumika's back. She buried her face in Sumika's hair and felt tears come. And laughter. "I love you too! I did then. I thought you—" Then she started to hiccough and sob great, wracking sobs.

Sumika's arms slipped around her, and Ushio cried into her neck, happy enough to be rocked by her.

"I guess what all adults say is true: you get smarter the older you get. I was so stupid letting you go without telling you the truth."

"Me too," Ushio whispered. "Oh, me too."

"So, um, how about dinner Friday?"

"How about breakfast tomorrow morning?"

Sumika smiled. "How about both?"

-end-

AN: This was written back before Hachi spilled the beans to Kazama about Sumika's feelings. Other than that, it would probably work in canon, considering Ikeda is determined for the two never to get together.


End file.
